


Duodecad

by fopsyche94, zwolftenaugust



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-09
Updated: 2017-02-09
Packaged: 2018-09-21 08:26:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9539672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fopsyche94/pseuds/fopsyche94, https://archiveofourown.org/users/zwolftenaugust/pseuds/zwolftenaugust
Summary: Duodecad [n]: A group of twelve things.EXO writing challenge from two lazy demotivated writers: 12 weeks, 12 fanfictions, 12 (more or less) pairings. Each story will be based on a song prompt. Enjoy!





	

**Author's Note:**

> Song prompt: Sweet Child O Mine - Gun N' Roses (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zdh2hot8rjU)
> 
> I think I strayed a bit far from the song but, eh. Please ignore weird grammars, I cannot English at the moment /creys
> 
> *Z

“Team Leader Park, the representatives from China headquarter have come. Go greet them.”

It was busy, but quiet Monday morning and Chanyeol had just come back from the pantry for a cup of black coffee when the floor manager called him. Twice a year, a team from the headquarter would come to the Korea branch office to do inspections, discussions about the company’s progress and projects, and, if needed, transfers to help setting the current problems regarding projects or company internal. So far, the Korea branch had come with the idea to make a collaboration team between headquarter and the branch for G to G-scale projects. The chairman thought that it was not a bad idea, and had sent some people to Korea to review project proposals and discuss with the team to ensure smoothness of the progress of their projects.

The said team leader put down the coffee mug on his cubicle desk and buttoned the sleeves of his shirt, “Coming.”

Park Chanyeol, 29, leader of marketing team, despite him being the second youngest in the said team.

He had climbed from the very bottom until he got the position at such young age; he had accepted the part-time position when he had just graduated from vocational school and the office had been just a representative office, forcing him to juggle between another part-time job on top of helping his parents’ small restaurant at the downtown near Konkuk Uni. The team leader at that time had seen his determination and offered him intern position. The pay had been only slightly better, but then he got hired officially and finally had money to save for college. His journey had not been a walk in a park, but he could say that he was proud he could make it.

But he knew that great power comes with great responsibility, so he needed to upgrade himself and get help from others. And it was quite exciting for his part to get input and suggestions from people the chairman had trusted.

There were three people sitting at the waiting room of the third floor, and one of them were Manager Jang. Chanyeol straightened his shirt and walked toward them, bowing slightly when the newcomers stood up to greet him. 

“Leader Park, this is Wu Yifan, the vice-head of marketing team from China headquarter,” Manager Jang introduced them. The said vice-leader bowed once again to Chanyeol.

“Nice to meet you, Leader Park,” Vice-leader Wu offered a handshake which Chanyeol eagerly took. Chanyeol took note of how tall the other man was, even taller than him and he was actually the tallest at the floor, if not the whole office. “Please call me Kris. And this is Huang Zitao, he’s just recently accepted at headquarter but quick and eager to learn. I’m sure he can give you good ideas and inputs to assist Korea team.”

The man beside Kris bowed, smiling shyly which actually didn’t match his sharp eyes. “My name is Zitao. I’m sorry that my Korean is still not good, but I’m working on it.”

“Wow,” Chanyeol couldn’t really help it. “Both of you can speak Korean really well. I’m really impressed. For a few weeks I’d been studying Mandarin again, but with the two of you I shouldn’t be worried anymore.”

“We can speak a bit,” Kris chuckled. “But there was someone who can speak Korean the best. I heard that he had lived in this country during his childhood.”

“There is someone other than you?”

“Two people actually, but I think they are currently at the fifth floor,” Zitao replied.

“They are from business development team,” Kris added.

Chanyeol nodded. “Well, gentlemen, shall we move to the meeting room? We can begin discussing our upcoming projects, and there is also a coffee maker there. That’s actually the best part of the room.”

 

 

******

 

 

Chanyeol finally got the chance to meet the other two Chinese during lunch time.

Zhang Yixing was a soft spoken guy with a bashful smile. He almost tripped on his own feet when he and the other man were walking toward Chanyeol and Kris’ table at the building cafeteria. He offered an embarrassed grin along with a hand, and Chanyeol gladly shook it.

The other man, though, just stood there looking at Chanyeol as if he’d grown another head. He felt slightly uncomfortable with the stare so he offered his hand. “Hello, my name is Park Chanyeol from marketing department. Nice to meet you.”

“Chanyeol-ah, do you still remember me?” the other person asked him instead, his outstretched hand forgotten. Chanyeol blinked. “Maybe not. You were very, very small at that time… Anyway, I’m Lu Han from business development team. But just call me Luhan.”

Chanyeol looked at their shaking hands before he looked back up to the other guy. His hair was black, gelled to the back and his face was very youthful. But there was something different with his eyes. They were deep brown, teary as if mirroring the outside, but…

Luhan retreated his hand and Chanyeol was pulled back to the cafeteria. Right, proper introduction. Meeting with someone told you they knew you must have been confusing. “Um, right, Luhan-nim and Zhang Yixing-nim. Please have a seat with me and Kris-nim. Have you had your lunch?”

“Call me hyung, Chanyeol-ah,” Luhan smiled at him while taking the seat beside Kris. “I’m actually older than you. But is it okay if I get comfortable with you?”

“Is he the childhood friend you talked about?” Kris looked back and forth between Luhan and Chanyeol. “The world is indeed small.” 

“I’m sorry but, uh… Luhan hyung?” Chanyeol tested the new honorific. “When did we exactly meet? I apologize for not recognizing you.”

Luhan opened his mouth, ready to give explanation, before he closed it again and standing up, startling the other three at the table. “I’m getting my lunch.”

 

Even after Chanyeol’s endless begging and (embarrassingly) whining, the older guy didn’t budge and kept smirking.

 

 

******

 

 

Chanyeol begged Luhan one last time but the latter just laughed before he bid him goodbye.

He looked at the older guy’s back, who was standing in front of the building with Yixing, probably waiting for Kris and Zitao to go to their dorm together. He felt something when he saw Luhan swinging his arm to side hug the other Chinese, just like an itch at the center of his back that he couldn’t reach. His smile triggered something in Chanyeol’s mind, so when he went to train station he took the line to his parents’ house in Seongsu.

“Why do you suddenly ask for your photo albums, Chanyeol-ah?” His mother brought another cardboard box to the living room. “That’s all. I don’t know if there are some of your photos in Yura’s album, but you might want to look into her room.”

“Thanks, mom,” he opened the boxes and began sorting the albums by the age. Luhan had mentioned earlier that they used to be neighbors in Ulsan, so maybe around primary school? “Do you remember a boy named Lu Han? He said he used to be our neighbor back then in Ulsan.”

“Lu Han? Lu Han… Ah!” His mother suddenly exclaimed, making Chanyeol immediately turn to her. “Wasn’t he the boy who used to play with you? He just stayed for a few months, though, and when he had to move you cried really hard. Wait a minute, I think I put his picture here…” she rummaged into the box and pulled out a black album. She opened a few page before scooting closer to her son. “Is it him?”

Chanyeol looked to the album and found a picture of him, the younger version of him, hugging a boy taller than him. The taller boy was no doubt the Lu Han he knew from the office; he could distinguish those eyes everywhere.

“You used to sit at the porch of our house, waiting for him to come from school. You would bring your hamster pet to the park nearby and showed him how cute it was, giving him beans for him to feed your hamster,” his mother looked at the picture with a fond smile etched on her face. “Once you and him got very sick after being trapped under the slide when suddenly a rainstorm came, and you cried for your Luhan hyung endlessly. In the end he came to our house despite his fever and I had to tend both of you.”

Chanyeol didn’t exactly remember the event, but he could imagine his younger self clinging onto Luhan’s shirt as they slept together on his small bed. He didn’t know if it was his imagination or his memory, but suddenly a picture of him on Luhan’s back popped out in his brain.

“Did he piggyback me a lot?”

“He did give you piggyback when you two went home on that rainstorm,” his mother turned to him. “Do you remember?”

 

 

 

Chanyeol couldn’t tell his mother that no, he didn’t really remember his times with Luhan. Maybe Luhan was right, he was too young to remember at that time and he just stayed for a few months, thus not many memories stored to be considered memorable. But that made him feel guilty for forgetting because even after years, Luhan still remembered him.

Yet as he looked past the blind of his window and watched the rain pitter-patter on the roofs, he felt like he remembered how tight Luhan embraced him under the slide on that day. He had cried, but Luhan had given him a peach milk candy to console him. When thunders had been roaring, Luhan had closed his ears so he wouldn’t have startled.

He could imagine how warm Luhan’s embrace had been, as he fell into slumber and snuggled deeper into his comforter.

 

 

******

 

 

He might have not remembered, but he could always make new memories.

“Luhan hyung,” he approached the older guy, who was standing at his usual spot in front of the building. He was alone this time, Yixing was still at the fifth floor with Korean team. “For you.”

Luhan dazedly opened the paper bag handed to him. He froze when he found a bag of peach milk candy in the bag. “Do you remember…?”

“Not really.” Chanyeol wasn’t the type to make white lies. “But I remember a bit about us. I don’t know if I have told you personally, but… Thank you. Thank you for looking after me.”

“You were so special to me,” Luhan mumbled, his head down. “I was so devastated when the mails I had sent to you got returned. I thought you didn’t want me anymore. You were so, so special.”

Chanyeol gently lifted Luhan’s head to see his shining eyes. He felt his chest being pricked when he saw sadness at the bottom of his eyes, worse when he knew that he was the one behind it. He could only do one thing in his mind, so he stepped closer and pulled the other man into his arms.

“Let’s start over, hyung, shall we?”

Luhan’s smile was so soft, so sincere, so _blinding_. “Okay, Chanyeol-ah.”


End file.
